Arsenic in rice, what should I know?

[mathnerd]

I have been making rice frequently for dinner for my family (especially in the past year or so) because I have very less time to cook and I have an electric rice cooker which is convenient to setup and I am lazy and one of my family members likes rice a lot. A month or so ago, I came across an article on our local health food store's flyer addressing the issue of arsenic in rice. I was concerned enough to google this and yes, it is true:

http://www.consumerreports.org/content/dam/cro/magazine-articles/2012/November/Consumer%20Reports%20Arsenic%20in%20Food%20November%202012_1.pdf

I have been feeding my family organic brown rice (Lundberg) for a long time and it seems to have a high amount of arsenic. I have completely given up on cooking rice for a few weeks now and I am using other grains like quinoa, barley, cracked wheat etc. I have also upped the veggies and greens (high in sulfur) that helps get rid of any arsenic in the system. I am not overly concerned about long term health effects, but am concerned enough to not continue my old eating pattern.

 

If you have concerns about arsenic in rice, did you move on to a white rice with lower arsenic or did you stop eating rice?

I am considering using white rice occasionally when making fried rice etc. 

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

We stopped eating rice as a side dish when I heard the first CR reports a few years ago. However, I need to eat gluten-free (I don't have celiac, gluten just creates some significant digestive problems for me), and rice is the main ingredient in most GF alternative foods, like bread and pasta. I didn't worry too much about it since it was affecting mainly me, and I kind of let myself stop paying attention. This latest report has made me very concerned again, so I'm trying to decide how to handle it. It's a little scary that they say that one rice cake can put a child over their limit for the week!

 

I really wish I liked things made with coconut or almond flour, but nothing I've made with them has turned out palatable to me :( It's a dilemma for sure. And DH is Latino, so while we don't cook much rice at home, when he's cooking comfort food or any time we eat at his mom's, we're eating loads of rice. That's occasional, so again, it alone probably isn't a concern, but in aggregate, it does worry me.

 

ETA: We're trying hard to save money at the moment, so some carb-y sides are slipping back in. I've been focusing on buying good sweet and white potatoes, and I do really love quinoa in place of rice. My kids protested at first, but after a few meals, they began to enjoy it too. That's pretty much where we are with that!

 

Oh, ETA again: After the first reports came out, "they" were saying that you could mitigate the arsenic load if you cooked the rice like pasta and drained it instead of just letting the rice absorb the liquid entirely. I wonder if that guidance still applies, given what they've learned since then? 

 

[Tanaqui]

If you rinse it before cooking, that helps.

 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-03/features/ct-food-1003-rice-arsenic-cooking-tips-20121003_1_arsenic-rice-consumption-cooked-rice

[Liz CA]

I heard about this but have not done the deeper research. Would rotating sources help? For example, rice from India, Brazil, locally, organically grown, etc.?

I do get rice from a local, organic grower and we are eating a fair amount of it. I used to buy Lundberg's as well since they are local to me.

 

Here is what Lundbergs have to say about it:  http://www.lundberg.com/info/arsenic-in-food/

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't make rice often because I don't like it.  I was tending more towards brown because I find the taste more tolerable than white.  DH likes rice so I'd make it for him.  He asked me to make it less often after reading that, and he asked me to stop buying him rice cakes.

 

I'm more concerned about my older son.  Rice is one of the few food items he will eat.  I've been buying it less and less and for him if at all white grown in this country.  I guess that's a little better.

 

I don't usually get hung up on stuff like this, but this bothers me a lot because I don't feel like the FDA would be honest about it because it's such a staple for people. 

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I heard about this but have not done the deeper research. Would rotating sources help? For example, rice from India, Brazil, locally, organically grown, etc.?

I do get rice from a local, organic grower and we are eating a fair amount of it.

 

The study that I read said that rice grown in the US actually has the highest arsenic loads (compared with Chinese rice, shocking!), but that California basmati had the lowest of the kinds they tested. Is that what you're buying? 

 

Here's the latest report directly from CR. I don't trust the FDA either, and they've dragged their feet for years already. It's obviously not a priority for them.

 

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm

 

ETA: Sorry, CR's data is actually FROM the FDA, which I didn't realize. I was remembering a quote from someone there that implied that they were still looking into the issue, but it seems they're at least doing the testing needed. 

[Peaceful Isle]

I heard brown rice is worse and has more in it than white rice. :(

 

We still eat rice, but maybe twice a month. I don't really think about it, because it would drive me crazy. I also heard that Apple juice has arsenic in it as well. It is my 3 year olds favorite drink. Sigh.

[Annie Elle]

I have switched to white and have cut down on the amount of rice that we eat. My family is happy since they like white rice better. We eat pretty healthy so I'm not concerned with serving white rice once or twice a month.

[Liz CA]

The study that I read said that rice grown in the US actually has the highest arsenic loads (compared with Chinese rice, shocking!), but that California basmati had the lowest of the kinds they tested. Is that what you're buying? 

 

Here's the latest report directly from CR. I don't trust the FDA either, and they've dragged their feet for years already. It's obviously not a priority for them.

 

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm

 

We eat a mix of basmati and short grain brown from a local grower - not Lundberg but if Lundberg has issues the other grower may well have similar test results. Perhaps we need to switch to Basmati only.

[Liz CA]

We rinse it like crazy and call it good. Everything, it seems, will kill us these days.

 

I do soak my brown rice overnight. Then I rinse and simmer on low until cooked. I wonder if this makes any difference.

 

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

We eat a mix of basmati and short grain brown from a local grower - not Lundberg but if Lundberg has issues the other grower may well have similar test results. Perhaps we need to switch to Basmati only.

 

It's so hard to say. There's always quinoa and couscous too, maybe? Here's the pertinent part of the article for you:

 

 

 

Our latest tests determined that the inorganic arsenic content of rice varies greatly depending on the type of rice and where it was grown. White basmati rice from California, India, and Pakistan, and sushi rice from the U.S. on average has half of the inorganic-arsenic amount of most other types of rice.

 

Our findings led us to treat those specific rices from those areas differently from other types of rice and rices grown in other regions. Based on our data, we calculated that consumers could have about twice as many weekly servings as we previously recommended if that was the only rice or rice product someone ate. For adults, that adds up to 4½ servings per week; children could have 2¾ servings.

 

All types of rice (except sushi and quick cooking) with a label indicating that it’s from Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas or just from the U.S. had the highest levels of inorganic arsenic in our tests. For instance, white rices from California have 38 percent less inorganic arsenic than white rices from other parts of the country.

 

Brown rice has 80 percent more inorganic arsenic on average than white rice of the same type. Arsenic accumulates in the grain’s outer layers, which are removed to make white rice. Brown has more nutrients, though, so you shouldn’t switch entirely to white. Brown basmati from California, India, or Pakistan is the best choice; it has about a third less inorganic arsenic than other brown rices.

 

Rice that’s grown organically takes up arsenic the same way conventional rice does, so don’t rely on organic to have less arsenic.

[Liz CA]

I wish dh liked quinoa better. I have not done much with couscous.

[mamaraby]

I always rinse my rice, but I'd do that anyway. I'm not giving up the fiber and nutrients in the bran, imo doing so would be worse than the risk from arsenic. Switching to other intact grains is certainly an option, but whose to say they won't be an issue down the road? The rest of the dietary sources of arsenic CR identified included fruit juice and vegetables, but CR didn't tell anyone to limit their vegetable consumption. It's going to be awfully hard to avoid unless we stop burning coal for power and clean up not just our own environmental practices, but those around the world.

 

There are lots of other things to be concerned about and worrying over arsenic levels in rice just isn't up there for me. If it bothers you, go for California rice. Their levels are lower than rice from overseas or Louisiana (where arsenic based pesticides were used for cotton crops). I'd stop eating rice before I'd give up my brown rice, though a bowl of white jasmine rice every now and again is lovely! :0)

 

ETA: Quinoa is not without its negative impacts, though that's mostly economic as Bolivians who have relied upon quinoa as a staple in their diet have been priced out of the market.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

My concern is not just bags/boxes of rice but anything with it... like I am heating up a chicken a la king frozen dinner. I guess I could call the 1-800 number asking questions. I've just been limiting myself on how often I eat stuff like this. But man, I love rice.

 

This is my biggest concern too. None of the rice-containing products identify the type and origin of the rice they use, so you have no idea what you're consuming. You actually have more control if you're buying rice as your dinner side dish. I've been relying on Udi's bread and Pamela's baking mix to resolve any bread cravings I have and to make baked goods for the whole family. Now I'm looking at the banana bread on my table and worrying *sigh*

[kiana]

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food-safety/article/arsenic-rice-should-you-worry

 

According to a 2010 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study, 17 percent of our dietary exposure to inorganic arsenic comes from rice, while fruits and fruit juices contribute 18 percent, and vegetables 24 percent. Of course, if you eat a lot of rice, a higher percentage of your total arsenic exposure would be from that. Arsenic has also been found in some mineral waters as well as homeopathic products and herbs used in Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine.

[mathnerd]

I do soak my brown rice overnight. Then I rinse and simmer on low until cooked. I wonder if this makes any difference.

 

My googling says that you need to boil the brown rice in lots of water (like you do while cooking pasta) and then throw out the boiling water (which will have most of the arsenic in it by that time) and then finish the cooking. Apparently, you can reduce the amount of arsenic in the brown rice by this way of cooking.

[LibraryLover]

I'm feeling pretty good about the Lundberg statements.

[Tanaqui]

Switching to other intact grains is certainly an option, but whose to say they won't be an issue down the road?

 

Part of the issue with rice is that it's grown in paddies, which is what allows the arsenic to accumulate in the plant in the first place. Grains and pseudograins that are grown on dry land will not be prone to this.

 

[mathnerd]

Part of the issue with rice is that it's grown in paddies, which is what allows the arsenic to accumulate in the plant in the first place. Grains and pseudograins that are grown on dry land will not be prone to this.

Yes. The rice plant is submerged in water for long periods which make them absorb a lot of arsenic from the water while the other grains are grown differently. Also, as drought and water shortages hit, rice farmers are using water from deeper in the water table where there  is more arsenic.

[Jasperstone]

We nearly have rice daily, but I'm not concerned. I do worry about the mercury in tuna and fish though. Don't ask me why I think one is worse than the other, lol. Maybe, I should be concerned! Another thing to think about.

[Firefly]

I buy rice in bulk from the food co-op, and no brand is listed.  I do think they display place of origin though, so I'll keep an eye on that.  Thanks for the information, everyone.

[Seasider]

We rinse it like crazy and call it good. Everything, it seems, will kill us these days.

This is pretty much how I feel. And to boot, I've felt less guilty going back to white rice for the dishes that taste better with white than with brown.

 

FWIW, I grew up eating rice & beans, rice under gumbo, jambalaya, rice with étouffée and creole... I should be dead of arsenic poisoning by now.

[SparklyUnicorn]

My googling says that you need to boil the brown rice in lots of water (like you do while cooking pasta) and then throw out the boiling water (which will have most of the arsenic in it by that time) and then finish the cooking. Apparently, you can reduce the amount of arsenic in the brown rice by this way of cooking.

 

I wonder if there is some way to test that at home.  Would be a fun science activity. 

[Tsuga]

I for one was thrilled to have an excuse to stop making brown rice because it's not as tasty. White basamati it seems is the safest. Shucks.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I for one was thrilled to have an excuse to stop making brown rice because it's not as tasty. White basamati it seems is the safest. Shucks.

 

See brown is the only rice I find tolerable (besides Rice a Roni...LOL).

 

To me brown has a taste.  White tastes like blah..nothing to me.

[Tsuga]

I don't like the taste of brown.

 

Maybe it was the arsenic.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't like the taste of brown.

 

Maybe it was the arsenic.

 

Haha...and then maybe I like the taste of arsenic?! 

[Tanaqui]

I wonder if there is some way to test that at home.  Would be a fun science activity. 

 

Depending on how much arsenic you found, sure. Find too much and it might be a scary science activity :scared:

 

[mathnerd]

I buy rice in bulk from the food co-op, and no brand is listed.  I do think they display place of origin though, so I'll keep an eye on that.  Thanks for the information, everyone.

Just ask them and they should be able to look it up from the big sack they get from the suppliers. Our local health food store will look up the information if I asked.

[MamaBearTeacher]

What about Minute rice? does Basmati have a quick-cooking version?

[mamaraby]

Part of the issue with rice is that it's grown in paddies, which is what allows the arsenic to accumulate in the plant in the first place. Grains and pseudograins that are grown on dry land will not be prone to this.

I am aware of how rice is grown. It's coming from the water (which picks it up from the arsenic released by coal burning power plants). The extra boost in levels in rice from Louisiana and Texas comes from soil residues leftover from pesticides used on land that was once used for cotton farming. Simply avoiding rice doesn't solve that and it doesn't eliminate arsenic exposure. You should still be concerned with apple juice and the vegetables you eat. Well...and the water you drink.

 

Switching simply to quinoa worsens poverty in Bolivia and other countries where the west's food fads have priced people out of the market who once relied upon it as a staple in their diet. That worries me, too.

 

For your average person, who can eat a varied diet? Like I said, I'm not overly concerned. I wash my rice and we eat other grains. If you're gluten free and eat rice in addition to other rice based baked goods (and by nature have a less varied diet)? It might warrant more careful sourcing and thought.

 

It's arsenic now, it could very well be something else in some other crop somewhere down the road. Eating a varied diet in general is just a wise thing to do.

[goldberry]

I love rice!  I had no idea.  I buy Uncle Ben's brown basmati in the microwave bags.  How would I find out how bad that is?  We eat A LOT of rice...

[SparklyUnicorn]

What about Minute rice? does Basmati have a quick-cooking version?

 

Actually yes.  My dad is on a low potassium diet.  We eat a lot of cauliflower and potatoes.  So for him I make rice (which is low in potassium).  I found some of those Uncle Ben's microwave packets and one was Basmati. 

[chiguirre]

Haha...and then maybe I like the taste of arsenic?! 

Maybe it makes you sparkly?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before it kills you!

[Aura]

Just an interesting note...my MIL (Chinese) INSISTS that rice should washed THOROUGHLY before cooking. And she believes she needs rice every day, every meal is even better. (Thankfully, she doesn't hold anyone else to that, except for when her kids were little and still at home.) FTR, she's also very big into lots of fresh veggies.

[FaithManor]

I buy an organic basamati for cheap at a bulk food store, rinse, and try not to worry. Everything is going to kill you! LOL, when I was in college way back in the mid-80's, a bunch of my dorm buddies and I watched a PBS documentary on foods that would kill you and to be honest, I'm thinking lettuce and carrots might have been the only thing they didn't demonize! Apart from grazing on local clover, I'm not sure what else the scientific minds interviewed in that documentary expected people to eat. The egg was the worst. The egg was literally a host of diseases about to descend upon your body in a single dose. It was quite the over the top docudrama.

 

Anyway, I can't have gluten. Since wheat allergies run in our family and I'm hoping the boys do not develop the issue, I limited their wheat consumption too. Since I'm not happy with corn as a replacement because type II diabetes runs on my side as well, rice is a better alternative for us, so I choose to live with blissful delusions that it's not a problem.

[Liz CA]

I buy an organic basamati for cheap at a bulk food store, rinse, and try not to worry. Everything is going to kill you! LOL, when I was in college way back in the mid-80's, a bunch of my dorm buddies and I watched a PBS documentary on foods that would kill you and to be honest, I'm thinking lettuce and carrots might have been the only thing they didn't demonize! Apart from grazing on local clover, I'm not sure what else the scientific minds interviewed in that documentary expected people to eat. The egg was the worst. The egg was literally a host of diseases about to descend upon your body in a single dose. It was quite the over the top docudrama.

 

Anyway, I can't have gluten. Since wheat allergies run in our family and I'm hoping the boys do not develop the issue, I limited their wheat consumption too. Since I'm not happy with corn as a replacement because type II diabetes runs on my side as well, rice is a better alternative for us, so I choose to live with blissful delusions that it's not a problem.

 

The egg was being maligned big time during the eighties, then beef and so forth.

I just try to buy the best possible quality of any kind of food and this is the best I can do.

 

[Hannahs4]

I try to follow the consumer reports dose chart .. As rough guideline especially for my kids. Where I think we can get in real trouble as a society is all those "healthy" and organic/ gluten free type convenience foods.

I don't let the kids eat rice cake type snacks any more! Just a quick look at the grocery store shelves and a ton of the organic snack bars/ foods have puffed brown rice and brown rice syrup in them as a sweetener. So yeah since I am now aware of it, I am more careful. We still eat rice.

[Jasperstone]

Haha...and then maybe I like the taste of arsenic?!

Ahhh, that's why I like apple seeds! They have an almondy taste.

[Tsuga]

I love the taste of almonds and peach seeds. I guess I just don't like the fiber.

[DianeW88]

Ahhh, that's why I like apple seeds! They have an almondy taste.

 

Apple seeds have cyanide in them.  So don't eat a ton of them.  Small amounts are ok.  Peach and apricot pits also contain cyanide.  Don't eat those at all.  Not that you could chew one up and swallow it, but just in case. :D

[Tsuga]

In Central Asia they eat apricot pits like no tomorrow.

 

I would be hesitant of eating a GMO or bred-for-store-transport apricot seed--they don't taste as sweet and I think it's due to the fact that they are bred for something other than edibility. But I have personally eaten handfuls at a time after having dried and pitted the apricots that grow in Asia and they are delicious... and I'm not dead yet, lol!

[flyingiguana]

the chipmunks in our backyard eat apricot seeds like they're laying down fat for winter (oh, wait, maybe they are).  They gnaw through the fruit and discard it and go right for the seed.

 

I assume they have some detoxifying enzymes that we humans lack

[Tanaqui]

Not that you could chew one up and swallow it, but just in case.

 

You could. The pit isn't the seed, the pit is what contains the seed. Peach and apricot pits are like almonds. Exactly like almonds, as they're related. If you split the pit open (and ultimately, the pit splits on its own,  often even when inside the fruit), you get to the seed inside, which is what's full of cyanide.

 

[Seasider]

Isn't that controversial cancer treatment (Laetrile?) from peach pits or seeds?